Despite my intentions to bake up a luscious treat, it came to be 2 o’clock on Tuesday with no ingredients bought and no plan on the agenda. It probably had something to do with the fact that I had an impromptu cookie baking session on Friday and consumed practically an entire batch on my own, thus deciding I should probably nick the whole epic Valentine’s Day treat.

BUT, how would that be right??!! It just wouldn’t!

Accordingly, I decided I’d scrounge something up, no matter what. And by scrounge, I mean no trip to the store – using only what I had on hand. I’ll admit I felt like I was settling a bit, but flash forward to the end and I’ll tell you the dessert was definitely not settling. Not one bit.

Sorry for the lack of quality photos…I snapped these quickly in some pretty poor lighting.

I first was inspired by these brownies. I borrowed the idea of cutting out the center of a brownie with a cookie cutter and then filling it with something; however, I didn’t use that particular recipe. Those just got my creative juices flowing! 🙂

I baked up a simple, straight-forward brownie recipe with a few dark chocolate chips and white chocolate chips that I had on hand (recipe based off one from AllRecipes, but changed). Remember, I didn’t buy ingredients, so upon seeing a few left over chips from previous baking projects, I decided they would add a nice touch.

While they baked up, I whipped up – drum roll please………..that Cookie Dough Frosting I told you about! Now, I’m sure you’re all eager to hear the verdict on the frosting. I should start by saying you literally start by mixing up some cookie dough (sans a few typical ingredients) and then add it to a simple confectioner’s sugar based frosting. I am not a huge fan of frosting, so I was a tad bit disappointed that the completed frosting had more of that frosting taste than I personally would have liked. Even though it clearly is a frosting recipe, somehow I was imagining foregoing that typical flavor. Despite this slight disappointment, it still was delicious. I definitely stole my fair share of fingerfuls out of the bowl! 🙂

After chilling the brownies in the freezer, I used a pretty large heart shaped cookie cutter to cut two giant hearts. Then, I placed those hearts on my serving plates. Using a much smaller heart cookie cutter, I cut out hearts in the center of each giant heart shaped brownie. I filled each heart “hole” with a hefty amount of cookie dough frosting, and then sat the small cut-out heart on top of the filling. To finish, I lightly sprinkled powder sugar over the entire dessert.

Brownie pre-powdered sugar and cut-out topping, but post “filling” them with frosting.

I bake often; thus, it takes quite a bit to impress my family in the dessert department.

But let me tell you something…my family raved about these!

Even though there’s quite a fewdaysweeksmonths nearly a year until next Valentine’s Day, I urge you to try this recipe out before then! After all, who doesn’t love a good, not to mention cute dessert any day of the year?! And, of course, you could always make them a different shape, too!

Rich Heart Brownies with Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Frosting Center

using the cookie cutters i used: makes 2 giant brownies with many scraps and a bit of extra frosting which can be used on some of the scraps (note: one giant brownie is equivalent to one indulgent serving, or 2 or 3 smaller portions. i won’t judge. oh, and double the frosting recipe if you want more for the [delicious] brownie scraps.)

.

For the brownies (adapted from AllRecipes):

1 cup butter, cut into small pieces

1/2 cup brown sugar

1 1/2 cups granulated sugar

1/2 cup cocoa powder

1 teaspoon vanilla

4 eggs, room temperature

1 generous cup flour (don’t level if off completely)

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/3 cup dark chocolate chips*

1/3 cup white chocolate chips*

.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

In a casserole dish or other large heat proof bowl, melt the butter. Add the sugars and mix until combined. Add the cocoa powder. Make sure your mixture isn’t too hot anymore, and then add the eggs and vanilla. Fold in the flour, baking powder, and salt until just combined.

Pour the batter into a prepared 13-in-by-9-in pan. Bake for around 20-30 minutes until a toothpick inserted a couple inches from the edge of the pan comes out nearly clean. Don’t overbake! At this point, you can get started on the cookie dough frosting filling.

Let cool completely. If needed, speed up the process by putting the brownies in the fridge or freezer. No matter what, freeze the brownies until no soft spots remain before carrying on.

*I actually didn’t measure these out…just threw some in. I’m just guessing with these measurements…so feel free to adjust to taste!

.

For the cookie dough frosting filling (from Always With Butter):

Mixture 1:

1/8 cup butter, room temperature

1/8 cup + 1 tablespoon brown sugar

1 teaspoon water

1/4 teaspoon vanilla

1/4 cup flour

1/8 teaspoon salt

1/3 cup mini chocolate chips

.

Mixture 2:

3/8 cup powdered sugar

1/4 cup butter, room temperature

pinch of salt

1/4 teaspoon vanilla

1/2 tablespoon milk.

.

For mixture 1: Cream the butter and sugar until sufficiently combined and fluffy. Add in the water and vanilla, then the flour and salt. Stir in the chocolate chips.

.

For mixture 2: Mix the powdered sugar, butter, salt, vanilla, and milk until combined. Add in mixture 1 to mixture 2 and stir to combine.

.

To assemble:

Take your giant cookie cutter and cut out two hearts from the chilled brownies in the pan. You may have to cut away some of the scraps to get a spatula under the brownies in order to transfer them to your serving plates.

Take your small cookie cutter and cut out a heart in the center of each of your giant heart brownies. Set the cut-outs aside.

Fill each heart “hole” with cookie dough frosting. Lean the heart cut-out on top of the frosting center.

Using a sieve, top the entire dessert with a light sprinkling of powdered sugar.

A very happy Valentine’s Day to all of you!! If you can’t already tell, I’m not a Valentine’s Day cynic. I believe all types of love can be celebrated and that the day is a time to remember to cherish those whom you love! Yay for love!

And what did I end up making for my epic treat?! Well, for now, I’ll leave you with just a sneak peek. I’ll be back with the details soon!

I thought I’d chronicle some of the recipes I’m looking at. That way, I’ll easily be able to come back to this post at later dates in order to try more of the recipes. I’m also thinking that perhaps I may just find a treat you can’t resist baking either. Just maybe. Wouldn’t that be a great bonus? [And remember…baking is the best therapy. The best!]

In no particular order…

Strawberry Lemonade Bars. Straight up lemon bars are downright amazing. So strawberry lemonade bars?! Must be exquisite! These would probably be especially good in the summer with freshly picked strawberries!

Red Velvet Cheesecake Brownies. It’s no secret; I love both red velvet and cheesecake in their various forms. And brownies aren’t half bad either, are they?! Wouldn’t these be cute if after baking you used a heart-shaped cookie cutter to make them a perfect fit for Valentine’s Day?

Now, I don’t like raised doughnuts [the only doughnuts I like are the cake [and occasional raised, I’ll admit] doughnuts from Doughnut Plant in NYC], but if I did, I’d bake these up in a flash…Pink Raised Doughnuts with Toasted Coconut. I bet my mom would adore these.

I’ve also been toying with the idea in my head of making chocolate chip cookies, but instead of the normal chocolate chips, chopping up some of that Lindt Dark Chocolate Chili and using it. I’ve never tasted it, but I’ve heard it’s amazing. I love chili and chocolate too, so it’s a tempting idea to try.

You see, I want to make the most delectable treat for Valentine’s Day. After all, who doesn’t love a little sweetness, especially on that day?!

I want to find an absolutely decadent recipe that somehow has a bit of Valentine’s Day infused – whether that be color-wise, flavor-wise, or appearance-wise (hearts, anyone)? But, of course, taste is paramount.

I would love, love, love to hear suggestions from you guys…either recipes you’ve made yourself or just scrumptious desserts you’ve found on the web! I figure one of you might just know the perfect dessert! 🙂

Thanks in advance! Oh, and I’ll be sure to let you know the answer to my quest once it is found!

On a lighter note, I’d love to share with you a recipe today for what I like to call Dreamy Cookie Dough Cream Pie. Did your eyes just light up? I wouldn’t doubt it. After all, whenever I make this dream of a dessert, just the name of it draws oooohs and ahhhhhs and endless mouthwatering. And then, people actually see the pie, and their heart skips yet another beat.

You guys, this pie is good. For real.

If the picture doesn’t do it for you, let me try describing it…on the botom, there’s a chocolate cookie crust followed by real pure cookie dough (eggless!), and then a topping of creamy vanilla custardy goodness. Top all of that with homemade whipped cream and some perfectly tiny cookies to garnish, and how could this not by a dreamy pie?!

I recommend you make this soon…really soon. Once you make it, it’s sure to become a regular in your household!

Preheat oven to 350 degrees fahreneheit. In a food processor, make the cookies into fine crumbs. Add the melted butter and combine (still in the food processor). Firmly press the mixture into a 9″ pie pan (cover the sides and bottom of pan). Bake for 8 minutes and remove from heat. Set aside and allow to cool completely. Don’t turn the oven off.

For the cookie dough: beat butter and sugars in large bowl with electric mixer on medium speed until light and fluffy. Add milk and vanilla. Add flour, baking soda and salt and mix on low speed until just incorporated. Mix in chocolate chips (try not to overmix, but make sure everything is efficiently combined). Using some of the dough, make 8-10 small, 1/2″ in diameter, balls (make however many cookies as you want servings of pie). Place on a non-stick baking sheet or a baking sheet lined with parchment. Bake for 7-9 minutes or until edges are lightly golden. Allow to cool for a few minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. These will be used to top the pie. Reserve remaining dough.

In a large saucepan, mix sugar, flour and salt. Stir in 1 cup of the milk, mixing until smooth, and then bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring constantly. Continue to stir until smooth and thickened, about 2 minutes. Remove from heat.

Beat the egg yolks with the remaining cup of milk. Add a teeny-tiny amount of this mixture to the mixture you heated previously. Mix to combine. Again, add a teeny-tiny amount of the egg mixture to the thickened mixture. Mix to combine. Repeat this a few more times, and then add the remaining egg mixture, mixing well to combine. The purpose of doing all of this is to make sure the cold egg mixture doesn’t “cook” upon touching the hot, thickened mixture. Be patient with this!

Return the saucepan to the heat and bring to a boil again, stirring constantly. Lower heat and simmer until mixture is the consistency of thick pudding (if it doesn’t seem to be reaching this consistency, but you’ve had it on the heat for awhile, you may still remove it from the heat…it should firm up more in the fridge later). Remove from the heat and quickly stir in butter and vanilla. Set aside.

While filling is cooling, break off pieces of cookie dough and press them into the cooled pie crust. You want an even layer of dough approximately 1/2″ thick (if you want the cookie dough to really be tasted in the finished pie, go for this full 1/2”, or maybe even thicker). You may have left over dough…eat it! It’s eggless, after all!

Pour in the cooled filling on top of the dough layer, leveling the top with a rubber spatula. Filling should come up about 1/2″ from the top of the crust. Refrigerate until completely cooled.

Whip cream until it begins to form soft peaks. Add sugar and vanilla, and beat until cream holds stiff peaks. Gently spread over the cooled pie, smoothing top into a slight dome. Garnish with the mini cookies, made earlier, setting them evenly around the circumference. One cookie per piece of pie is a great way to go!

You see, I’m having a friendly little competition with a friend to see who can come up with the best red velvet cake (there are even judges involved!). As far as I know at this point, appearance/decorating does not matter; it’s purely based on taste.

Now normally, I wouldn’t hesitate one bit if someone asked me to make them a red velvet cake…I do have an old standby that is quite good. But, this is a competition! I need the best of the best, the creme de la creme of red velvet cakes!

When I mentioned to you guys that I recently made a wedding cake, I was met with the hunger to hear more about it from some of you. So naturally, I’d love to tell you a bit more about it!

Besides fashion, baking is another passion of mine (although fashion most definitely comes first). I’m always craving sweets and thus baking…trust me, at my house, you almost always have baked goods! Baking also proves to be quite therapeutic for me – honestly, the best kind of therapy (although not so much for the waistline….!).

Anyway, a bit over a month ago, my aunt and uncle were telling me how my cousin had yet to select a wedding cake for her then in-just-a-month-wedding. She wasn’t finding what she wanted at a reasonable price. A joke was thrown out that I should make the cake, and actually, that sounded like an amazingly fun type of challenge for me. Fast forward to a week later, and I was officially making the cake!

Suffice to say, my mind was on the cake nearly 24-7. I tested recipes every weekend (sometimes weekdays too) and did much research.

I ended up doing two different flavors, both as collaborations with what my cousin, the bride, wanted. The cake was three tiers, with the top and bottom tiers being vanilla cake with a chocolate mousse filling, and the middle tier being a chocolate cake with a chocolate hazelnut mousse filling. The entire cake was iced in an off-white buttercream (no fondant!!!). Around the bottom of each tier was a ribbon matching the color scheme of the wedding. On the top of the cake was a monogram with the bride and groom’s initials that the bride picked out.

Oh, and have I neglected to mention that I wasn’t even baking this cake in my own kitchen? Ya, it’s true. I baked it in my cousin’s (the bride’s) kitchen, and it was actually the first time I had ever even seen her kitchen, let alone baked in it (we live in different states). Regardless of this and the fact that I am in reality a novice to the wedding cake industry, I am proud – and relieved(!!!) – to say that the cake turned out! Not only did it taste great (if I may toot my own horn!), but it also did not collapse, something which always worried me a bit!

A few fun, random facts:

10 pounds of butter used in the entire cake

approximately 16 or so hours to make the cake (not including the hour transportation to the venue and the set-up time)

84 ounces chocolate used (bittersweet and semisweet)

4 dozen eggs used

bottom tier alone weighed 35 pounds

And yes, the question you’re all asking, “Would I do it all again?”

Yes, I’d do it all again. In. A. Heartbeat.

*I know you may all be disappointed about this, but I, unfortunately, am not going to share pictures. This is simply to protect the privacy of the bride and groom.

Nothing beats a perfectly compiled campfire s’more. Am I right, or am I right? Yes, that’s what I thought! 🙂

If I could always have access to a campfire to make s’mores when my s’mores cravings spike, I would never have an issue. However, rarely do I have a campfire. The other day, I thought, why not try a microwave version (I mean, I’ve heard of people doing it, but never tried it myself)? Naturally, I did just that.

And no, I didn’t just go for a typical s’more, although I’m definitely not dissing a traditional s’more (oh, no!). Instead, I threw in some toffee pieces as well.

Did I mention I also just used ingredients I happened to have on hand – as in, no trip to the grocery store was needed? Yes, it’s true. Obviously, just because I happened to have all the ingredients on hand most definitely does not mean you will too, but look at it this way…I’m giving you an excuse to keep your pantry stocked with these ingredients so that you can have a s’more anytime you want. Oooh…that could be dangerous though, couldn’t it?! 😉

Take a look at it, pre-topping it off with the last sandwich piece of graham cracker:

And before you s’more aficionados start screaming at me, “BUT THE CHOCOLATE IS NOT MELTY AND GOOEY! *gasp*”, let me assure you that although it doesn’t appear it, the chocolate is in fact melty and gooey, as it should be. These microwave s’mores are just as messy as a traditional campfire s’more, that’s for sure.

Yummy looking, right? They were. Trust me! Now they weren’t up to campfire s’mores’ level of goodness, but for a treat that takes approximately 20 seconds to make (no joke!) and does not require a campfire, I think these are great alternative when you get a s’mores craving and need.one.now.as.in.NOW!

Make ’em for an after school/work treat, or just for the heck of it (like I did!). Need a better excuse? How about for this Labor Day? There you go. Now you have no excuse not to try these! 🙂

(Microwave) Chocolate Toffee S’mores

makes one s’more

1 graham cracker, broken in half

small handful of mini marshmallows (or you could try one big marshmallow)

small handful of chocolate chips (or you could try a traditional Hershey’s chocolate bar)

small handful toffee pieces (you could omit these, but they give a nice crunch)

Lay one of the halves of the graham cracker on a microwavable plate. Arrange the marshmallows on top, more towards the center of the graham cracker (as opposed to the edges). Microwave for approximately 15 seconds (note: keep in mind microwave ovens vary). When you remove the plate from the microwave, the marshmallows will de-puff a bit. That’s okay.

Using a fork, gently push back any marshmallows onto the graham cracker that may have fallen off. Sprinkle the marshmallows with chocolate chips (the exact amount to suit your tastes). Microwave 5 seconds more.

Sprinkle toffee chips on top (again, however many you want). Top with the second half of the graham cracker, and smoosh down a bit to get that ooey-gooey-ness going. Enjoy!

—–

Have any of you tried a microwaved version of s’mores? If so, what do you think of them? If you haven’t, are you now inclined to try one?!

First of all, a huge thank you to all who gave me some ideas for my upcoming trip to San Francisco…every piece of advice was so helpful, and I know it’ll all make my trip that much better! Again, thank you!

Also, I’m so glad I shared my Oreos and Peanut Butter revelation with you…it was great to hear from so many of you. The general consensus: those who have tried it love it, there are a few who have yet to try it, and some of you hate peanut butter (how???!). If you fit into the second group, I recommend you try it as soon as possible! Of course, make sure to fill me in on whether you like it! 🙂

In that Oreos + Peanut Butter post, Amanda told me she had a recipe for no-bake peanut butter squares she’d be glad to share with me. Obviously, I eagerly told her I’d love such a recipe! Well, today, I opened my email only to be happily surprised that the recipe was awaiting me! Even better, I happened to have enough ingredients on hand to make a half batch…and that’s just what I did!

How’d they turn out? Deliciously! Amanda warned me that it would probably be a good idea to have some people on hand to share these with. Having made them, I can definitely see why – they’re addicting! I have already eaten more than I probably should have, but they were so worth it!

I advise you to make these…they really are a no-fuss treat that’ll be sure to please a sweet craving! Thanks so much Amanda for the fabulous recipe!

*note: I halved the recipe due to the fact that I didn’t have enough peanut butter for a full recipe (I blame it on the eating of the peanut butter and Oreos! 🙂 However, the recipe here is listed with the ingredients to make a full batch, which I’m sure you’ll want to do!

Peanut Butter Squares

from lovely reader Amanda

1/2 cup butter, melted and cooled

2 cups powdered sugar

1 1/2 cups Graham Cracker crumbs

1 cup peanut butter

12 oz. Semi-Sweet chocolate (I used a little over half Semi-Sweet, and the rest was dark)